The new season of “Keeping up With The Kardashians” did not start on the best note. As the season aired, Kim Kardashian West got unsettling medical news during the episode. Kim Kardashian tested positive for lupus.
The season 17 premiere of “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” was dramatic — and it wasn’t just because of Kim’s annoyance with Khloé ‘s ex, Tristan Thompson. Kim had apparently been feeling some discomfort in her joints and decided to go for a checkup.
After experiencing tiredness, swelling in her hands, and nausea, Kardashian decided to see a doctor. “I feel like I literally am falling apart. My hands are numb,” she said in the episode.
Later on, her doctor called her to reveal that her blood tests showed antibodies that are commonly associated with both lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Naturally, the news was very upsetting to the mother of four, entrepreneur and reality star.
What is Lupus?
Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes your immune system to attack your body and organs such as your kidneys. Kim’s doctor noted to her that just because you have antibodies for lupus, it doesn’t mean that you have lupus for certain.
Dr Brad Rovin, a nephrologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Centre, agrees. “Having a positive test for antibodies — or proteins that help your body fight infection — associated with lupus doesn’t mean you actually have the disease,” he says. “Just having an antibody test can bring back a false positive, a lot of people develop antibodies at low levels, and don’t necessarily have the disease.” In the latter case, doctors will just want to watch for any signs of lupus at future appointments.
Rovin notes that lupus can usually be treated with specific steroids called corticosteroids. However, the fatigue that often accompanies the disease is the trickiest symptom to quell.
Other common marks include rashes, joint pain and more severe manifestations that can attack organs, Rovin says. He notes that the scientific community has made incredible progress with both rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
Rovin says that neither diagnosis is a death sentence in America in this day and age. But they are conditions that have to be managed. “It’s gratifying to see how much progress [science has] made, especially when it comes to rheumatoid arthritis,” Rovin says. “But let me put it this way: most people don’t want either diagnosis.”
With early diagnosis and the best doctors money can buy, Kim Kardashian West will hopefully conquer these lupus antibodies and keep being a great influencer and an amazing mum to her four beautiful children.
Check out the trailer for the episode below:
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